1. The Medal shall be awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published by an American publisher in the United States in English during the preceding year. There are no limitations as to the character of the book considered except that it be original work. Honor books may be named. These shall be books that are also truly distinguished.
2. The Award is restricted to authors who are citizens or residents of the United States.
3. The committee in its deliberations is to consider only the books eligible for the award, as specified in the terms.
2. The Award is restricted to authors who are citizens or residents of the United States.
3. The committee in its deliberations is to consider only the books eligible for the award, as specified in the terms.
Dead End in Norvelt
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/6/5/13650558/2050404.jpg?0)
Author: Gantos, Jack
Illustrator: NA
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Grioux (2011)
Plot summary: Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a feisty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his Utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launched on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.
Recommended audience: Grades 5 and up
Illustrations: NA
Activities: One activity that I would do with my students while reading this book would be to have students learn a bout the neighborhood that they live in and then do some research about what life would be like fifty or a hundred years before the time now. I would have the students construct a double bubble thinking map comparing and contrasting the two and then share it with the class.
Another activity that I would have my students do while reading this book is to talk about obituaries and have my students learn about everything that goes into one of them and have them write one for a fictional character from the book.. the students would need to research and figure out how they died and who they left behind as well as some interesting facts about the person who died.
Book Review can be viewed here: http://www.amazon.com/Dead-End-Norvelt-Jack-Gantos/product-reviews/0374379939/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Author's website: http://www.jackgantos.com/bio-photos/
Illustrator: NA
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Grioux (2011)
Plot summary: Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a feisty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his Utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launched on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.
Recommended audience: Grades 5 and up
Illustrations: NA
Activities: One activity that I would do with my students while reading this book would be to have students learn a bout the neighborhood that they live in and then do some research about what life would be like fifty or a hundred years before the time now. I would have the students construct a double bubble thinking map comparing and contrasting the two and then share it with the class.
Another activity that I would have my students do while reading this book is to talk about obituaries and have my students learn about everything that goes into one of them and have them write one for a fictional character from the book.. the students would need to research and figure out how they died and who they left behind as well as some interesting facts about the person who died.
Book Review can be viewed here: http://www.amazon.com/Dead-End-Norvelt-Jack-Gantos/product-reviews/0374379939/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Author's website: http://www.jackgantos.com/bio-photos/
The Graveyard Book
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/6/5/13650558/8101474.jpg?0)
Author: Gainman, Neil
Illustrator: McKean, Dave
Publisher: HarperCollins (2010)
Plot summary: Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family.
Recommended audience: Grade 4 and above
Illustrations: Screen Printed
Activities: One activity that I could do with my students along with this book would be to have them pretend that they were Bod and write a journal to tell their feelings throughout the story. This would be really interesting to see what the students would come up with.
A second activity would be to illustrate a scene from the book that was not illustrated by Dave McKean and then use all of the different illustrations to have a picture book of the story. The students could also use these pictures to create a story unlike the actual book.
Book Review can be viewed here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Graveyard-Book-Neil-Gaiman/product-reviews/0060530944/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Author's website: http://www.neilgaiman.com/
Illustrator: McKean, Dave
Publisher: HarperCollins (2010)
Plot summary: Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family.
Recommended audience: Grade 4 and above
Illustrations: Screen Printed
Activities: One activity that I could do with my students along with this book would be to have them pretend that they were Bod and write a journal to tell their feelings throughout the story. This would be really interesting to see what the students would come up with.
A second activity would be to illustrate a scene from the book that was not illustrated by Dave McKean and then use all of the different illustrations to have a picture book of the story. The students could also use these pictures to create a story unlike the actual book.
Book Review can be viewed here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Graveyard-Book-Neil-Gaiman/product-reviews/0060530944/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Author's website: http://www.neilgaiman.com/
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/6/5/13650558/4874420.jpg?0)
Author: Schlitz, Laura Amy
Illustrator: Byrd, Robert
Publisher: Candlewick (2011)
Plot summary: Maidens, monks, and millers’ sons — in these pages, readers will meet them all. There’s Hugo, the lord’s nephew, forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar; sharp-tongued Nelly, who supports her family by selling live eels; and the peasant’s daughter, Mogg, who gets a clever lesson in how to save a cow from a greedy landlord. There’s also mud-slinging Barbary (and her noble victim); Jack, the compassionate half-wit; Alice, the singing shepherdess; and many more. With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates twenty-two riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent reading or performance. Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Robert Byrd — inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated poem from thirteenth-century Germany — this witty, historically accurate, and utterly human collection forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England.
Recommended audience: Grade 5 and above
Illustrations: Mixed Multimedia (pencil and watercolor)
Activities: One activity that I would do with my students is have them each pick a character from the book and dress and act like them as we read certain parts of the story.
Another activity that my students could do would be to create a village as a diorama type project and label the different stores as would be in an actual village.
Book Review can be viewed here: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Masters-Sweet-Ladies-Medieval/product-reviews/0763650943/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Author's website: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Amy-Schlitz/e/B001H6O5V6
Illustrator: Byrd, Robert
Publisher: Candlewick (2011)
Plot summary: Maidens, monks, and millers’ sons — in these pages, readers will meet them all. There’s Hugo, the lord’s nephew, forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar; sharp-tongued Nelly, who supports her family by selling live eels; and the peasant’s daughter, Mogg, who gets a clever lesson in how to save a cow from a greedy landlord. There’s also mud-slinging Barbary (and her noble victim); Jack, the compassionate half-wit; Alice, the singing shepherdess; and many more. With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates twenty-two riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent reading or performance. Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Robert Byrd — inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated poem from thirteenth-century Germany — this witty, historically accurate, and utterly human collection forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England.
Recommended audience: Grade 5 and above
Illustrations: Mixed Multimedia (pencil and watercolor)
Activities: One activity that I would do with my students is have them each pick a character from the book and dress and act like them as we read certain parts of the story.
Another activity that my students could do would be to create a village as a diorama type project and label the different stores as would be in an actual village.
Book Review can be viewed here: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Masters-Sweet-Ladies-Medieval/product-reviews/0763650943/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Author's website: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Amy-Schlitz/e/B001H6O5V6
When You Reach Me
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/6/5/13650558/1442419.jpg?309)
Author: Stead, Rebecca
Illustrator: NA
Publisher: Yearling (2010)
Plot summary: By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner.
But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.
Recommended audience: Grades 3 and above
Illustrations: NA
Activities: One activity that I would like to do with my class would be to have my students pretend like they were Miranda (the main Character) and write a letter to their friend Sal to talk about their feelings with him according to the book.
A second activity that I would do with my class in connection with this book is have them keep a journal as if they were Miranda and have them track the feelings and emotions that they were feeling in connection with Sal and the rest of the characters in the book. You could talk about emotions and the importance of keeping a journal and sharing emotions with your family, friends, and teachers.
Book Review can be viewed here: http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Reach-Yearling-Newbery/product-reviews/0375850864/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Author's website: http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com/
Illustrator: NA
Publisher: Yearling (2010)
Plot summary: By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner.
But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.
Recommended audience: Grades 3 and above
Illustrations: NA
Activities: One activity that I would like to do with my class would be to have my students pretend like they were Miranda (the main Character) and write a letter to their friend Sal to talk about their feelings with him according to the book.
A second activity that I would do with my class in connection with this book is have them keep a journal as if they were Miranda and have them track the feelings and emotions that they were feeling in connection with Sal and the rest of the characters in the book. You could talk about emotions and the importance of keeping a journal and sharing emotions with your family, friends, and teachers.
Book Review can be viewed here: http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Reach-Yearling-Newbery/product-reviews/0375850864/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Author's website: http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com/
Moon Over Manifest
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/6/5/13650558/5664869.jpg?0)
Author: Vanderpool, Clare
Illustrator: NA
Publisher: Yearling (2011)
Plot summary: Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.
Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it’s just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to “Leave Well Enough Alone.”
Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest’s history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest’s secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.
Recommended audience: Grades 3 and up
Illustrations: NA
Activities: One activity that i would have my students do to go along with this book is to create a box of memories from their family and then bring it in to share with the class. This could be a fun book to do around or right after the new year and we could talk about leaving a story behind and also about different traditions such as time capsules This would be extremely fun for the kids to make themselves and have them take them home and bury it in the yard or keep it in their closet for a number of years.
The second activity that i would have my students do that would tie into Geography would be to have them track the path that Abilene and her friends took throughout the book. The students could create a map of the town of Manifest, Kansas and at different spots in the map, track and write down plot points.
Book Review can be viewed here: http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Over-Manifest-Clare-Vanderpool/product-reviews/0375858296/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Author's website: http://www.clarevanderpool.com/
Illustrator: NA
Publisher: Yearling (2011)
Plot summary: Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.
Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it’s just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to “Leave Well Enough Alone.”
Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest’s history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest’s secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.
Recommended audience: Grades 3 and up
Illustrations: NA
Activities: One activity that i would have my students do to go along with this book is to create a box of memories from their family and then bring it in to share with the class. This could be a fun book to do around or right after the new year and we could talk about leaving a story behind and also about different traditions such as time capsules This would be extremely fun for the kids to make themselves and have them take them home and bury it in the yard or keep it in their closet for a number of years.
The second activity that i would have my students do that would tie into Geography would be to have them track the path that Abilene and her friends took throughout the book. The students could create a map of the town of Manifest, Kansas and at different spots in the map, track and write down plot points.
Book Review can be viewed here: http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Over-Manifest-Clare-Vanderpool/product-reviews/0375858296/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Author's website: http://www.clarevanderpool.com/